Provided by Esther C. Kim, Lecturer, Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California.
Edited for McNeese Faculty by Dr. Wendi Prater, Director eLearning, McNeese State University.
Whether it’s problems with the online platform or Wi-Fi connections, technology can fail. During the first few semesters of teaching online, I frantically tried to fix the problem while remaining on camera. Unless you are certain that it will be a quick fix, it’s best to post a message on the chat box or say (if your audio is working) that you are facing technological problems, and then offer a five-minute break. Include a time stamp in case the platform freezes; for example: “Hi all, I’m having technical difficulties. It’s 5:55 p.m. right now — let’s take a five-minute break and regroup at 6 p.m.”. In my experience, five minutes is enough time to restart the platform, restart your computer, or contact your online-support staff. On that note, make sure you have your real-time online-support phone numbers saved in your phone’s contacts. Another helpful tech support is a battery backup unit into which you can plug your computer and your router or modem. I bought mine for less than $50, and it has already saved me through a temporary power outage.
If you have questions about any Moodle tools, check out our articles in this Faculty Knowledgebase or reach out for support by phone or email to computer services or eLearning departments. Contact information for both departments is located on this knowledgebase homepage.
